Author's Note: Hey, I'm back. It's been far too long. That it has. This is a little one shot that I've wanted to write for a long while now. Well, something just told me to get it out. I figured this was as good a place as any to throw it in, and it doesn't need to waste any space creating a seperate story for it to exist all on it's lonesome. As I was writing it, I thought it would be a good idea to kinda tie it into Memories Upon Broken Glass also, so it'll give a little bit of insite into things there. It's also notable for being the first bit of First Person I've written in quite a while.

Anywho, hopefully, I'll have more up on Memories, Shades of Black, and Life After Death soon. So if you've been waiting for any of that and/or prepairing to string me up by my entrails for not uploading in a while, I hope that will make up for it.


View From the Other Side

Huff, I didn't want to do this. I wasn't a stupid guard dog, and this stupid bastard shouldn't have gone and blown up a friggin subway. I don't know how many people they'd said were dead, but it was a lot. Of course, he was an old friend, and he'd come to me directly. Sigh, you can't just turn down a friend who happens to be friends with your bosses. Well at least my wife and son, and my bakery, would be there waiting for me when this was all through.

He sat there with a smug look on his face. "Thanks for helping me. I'll be sure to return the favor. That son of yours is getting on hell of a trust fund." The other men in the room scoffed at his comment. "That goes for all of you. You will all be sitting pretty after this."

"It's no big deal. I watched your back all through school. I guess I'll never grow out of it. Somebody's gotta watch your sorry ass," I replied. We shared a laugh together as the men looked at us oddly. It's like the dumb bastards didn't know what friends were. Or maybe it was simply because we were joking around at such a serious time. Whatever it was, they were being real sticks in the mud.

As our laughter died down, my old pal looked at me seriously. "I have no idea when they'll come, or who they'll send, but this is serious. I just want you to know that."

I nodded solemnly. "I understand." I didn't like killing, but sometimes, it was necessary. This was one of those times. I knew I was gonna have to kill someone, probably cops. Besides, it's not like I haven't killed before. I worked for the Padania. It was the guilty detail we all shared. Some of us just didn't give a shit.

I frowned as I checked my AK again, just to be on the safe side. I felt like some kind of typical peon from the movies. Black gear and an AK, I could be a terrorist. Hah, yeah right. What I did was for the better of Italy. It was one fact that never left my mind. I was one of the good guys.

That didn't mean I didn't have times where I doubted myself though.


The old grandfather clock in the corner started its hourly ritual. It was 1 in the morning. I chugged down the rest of my coffee and left my cup on the table. That American singer/songwriter had said it best; the waiting is the hardest part. If we were lucky, they'd never come. We were, after all, in one of the safe houses. They're supposed to be, well, safe.

Unfortunately, God loved to throw me a curve ball every now and then. So when the outside guards didn't respond, we knew it was show time. All of us got our game faces on. This was gonna be bloody.

We could hear the bullets raining below now. Sounds like someone was having fun. One of the men below had decided to radio in. "Shit, what the hell is this?!" he yelled, sounding quite surprised. "They're using fucking k..."

And he was dead. Silence seeped from the very walls. "Using what?" one man spoke up tentatively. "What are they using?"

No one dared answer, but my buddy had a bewildered look on his face. "Shit," I muttered under my breath and pulled my old friend off to the side to have a little chat. We still had a little time before they got here. "You didn't set up that target did you? This is too calculated for police, and that guy sounded awfully surprised for any standard military group."

He hung his head low. "No," he responded. "It was an outside order. Something about how it would be to our benefit. He sounded American, went by the name Cooper."

That dumb bastard. This wasn't just about our plans to split Italy. This was Europol or Interpol big. "We'll finish this later. Right now, we need to get you out of here."

After making an announcement to the men, I hauled his ass out of the room and over to the stairwell. They were on the floor right below us. Getting out of this was gonna be tough, but with good timing and a little luck, we could pull this off. But first, I had to buy us some time.

I flew up the stairs faster then I'd ever run before. Considering I was pulling another person behind me, it was an incredible feat. I was starting to believe Lady Luck had shown down on me. Unfortunately, I had been wrong. I'd never even considered the possibility of one of them breaking off from the rest. And what I saw blew my mind.

She had been standing in front of me, an Uzi in her hands, looking no older then 10 or 12. Her black hair was cut short, and she was wearing a simple outfit, but there was no mistaking the look of killing intent on her face. "I've found the target," she spoke into a radio headset.

I was too shocked to do anything. I was expecting cops, or carabinieri or something. Not some tot with an Uzi. For Christ's sake, she looked the same age as my son!

Snapping out of my stupor, I turned and ran. There was no way I was fighting some kid. My buddy on the other hand, had given up and fallen to his knees. I didn't want to leave him, but he wasn't going anywhere.

I ran as fast as I could, but the hallway seemed to stretch on for eternity. A sharp pain ripped through my back, and I stopped in my tracks. She'd shot me! That wench had shot me! It took all of my strength to stay on my feet, but I'd managed to stay up and turn around to look her in the face. The very same face that held no emotion as she stared at me, like she was peering into my very soul and judging my life's actions. The AK slipped from my hands and clattered against the floor. My vision grew dim, and I fell to my knees. All I could manage as my life slipped away was a meek, "Why?"


Alternate Ending: The Nachtsider Ending

Alternate Ending inspired by Nachtsider. Thanks Nacht.

I flew up the stairs faster then I'd ever run before. Considering I was pulling another person behind me, it was an incredible feat. I vaguely noticed my buddy draw his pistol. I was starting to believe Lady Luck had shown down on me. Unfortunately, I had been wrong. I'd never even considered the possibility of one of them breaking off from the rest. And what I saw blew my mind.

She had been standing in front of me, an Uzi in her hands, looking no older then 10 or 12. Her black hair was cut short, and she was wearing a simple outfit, but there was no mistaking the look of killing intent on her face. "I've found the target," she spoke into a radio headset. By target, she must mean my friend here.

I was too shocked to do anything. I was expecting cops, or carabinieri or something. Not some tot with an Uzi. For Christ's sake, she looked the same age as my son! My friend on the other hand, had aimed his pistol and popped off a shot at the girl, something I could never bring myself to do. The bullet hit her square in the forehead and I cringed.

The girl, on the other hand, seemed to shrug off the shot to her forehead. Neither of us knew what to do, and our guns dropped to the floor. The girl simply stared. The very same face that held no emotion felt as if she were peering into my very soul and judging my life's actions. She aimed the gun and I could almost feel a pinprick on my forehead as she aimed. All I could manage was a meek, "Why?" as she pulled the trigger.